- Safaris completed this year so far
- Self-drive guests who have explored SA
- Future Safaris
- Our Zululand Flying Service
- Friends and Family
- The World around Us
Thanks to the many of you who write in and compliment us on the website and also on the fun you get out of reading all the news - it is honestly a pleasure. Thanks to the many of you who also wrote in about our New Look webpage. I have had the same design and music for 5 years now, so Arthur - my magical Webmaster, decided that I should make a change - and it really does look great now! I was hoping to create one of those photo albums with a few photos of your recent safari to Southern Africa - but have not received any photos from anyone - come on folks, surely you can send me 3 or 4 photos (up to 6 maximum please) of your trip here - and a caption to go along with each one - then I shall make a simple album that everyone can see - and it shall also serve as a referral service for future guests. I still get new enquiries from people who have not read through the entire website or even read an edition of Dean's Diary - and think there is a possibility of me being a fraud…. Well, I believe such people do exist and so by having you support me, and being the photographic proof and having a means for the prospective client to contact you to verify that I am a real person and a real company and that they shall not arrive at the airport and find no-one to meet them - means that I should get the business from them and they shall be a happy guest of mine! As stated before - to all prospective clients - contact ANY SATOUR office around the world - they all know me and African Bundu Safaris, contact ANYONE in our guestbooks, they all have benefited from our services, contact any of the large hotel chain groups like Sun International or Protea Hotels - I have contracts with them, contact the SA Embassy in New York, Ottawa, London, Italy… they know of us…. remember, maybe the receptionist does not, but the communications or marketing person would!
Past Safaris - My first one of the year was with Wayne and Jolene - what a great trip we had! If you have not seen their comments in my guestbook yet, remember to read them! It started off in Durban where I met them at the airport after lunch, and then after a brief tour of Durban, I dropped them off at our B&B in Umhlanga rocks - where they spent the following day relaxing and exploring. On the Sunday, we drove up the North Coast, stopping at some old British forts and enjoying a picnic lunch in Eshowe, before arriving at Shakaland, where we enjoyed the usual exceptional experience, learning and participating in the traditional ways and culture of the powerful Zulu nation. After a good nights sleep in the beehive huts, we left for Fort Marshall - named after Wayne's ancestors?? And then we continued on to the battle site of Isandhlwana and Rorkes Drift, where after lunch, we left for Umfolosi-Hluhluwe Game Reserve. The battle sites are famous for the historical battle between the Zulu's and the British - I'll leave the history lesson for when you come out here next time (or search the internet!). In Umfolosi, we spent 2 nights, enjoying the game viewing, with a spit and a spot of rain during our stay, but we saw a wide variety of animals and some really close ones as well! On Valentines day, we stopped at Wendy's for a 'romantic' lunch, prior to enjoying a boat cruise on the St Lucia Estuary and then arriving at Cape Vidal for a couple of nights - time to relax and enjoy the sea, even though it was squally weather! On the Friday, we drove to Kosi Bay and arrived at our stone and thatch lodge - and spent the next couple of days exploring - first exploring was in our 4x4 along rough tracks to Black Rock - a lovely isolated beach where Wayne and I snorkelled - and Jolene suntanned. I went for a walk along the rocks and coming around the one corner, a Manta Ray leaped out of the water - what a sight!! That evening, we took a boat ride across Lake 3 to the beach - and sat watching the surf and sea - then at 6pm, as it started getting dark, we started walking back, only to be stopped by Jolene jumping up and down and stuttering - a baby turtle hatchling was crossing in front of her - such excitement from all of us - one of the Zulu beach patrol members came across and then followed the babies tracks to where they came out of the sand and dug - WOWOWOWOW - out came about 30 baby turtles, just a few hours/minutes old - and to hold them was so awesome!!
Leaving Kosi the next day, we continued to Tembe Elephant Reserve, and straight to the one hide - to be treated to the sight of Africa's largest elephants playing in the mud and waterhole - another awesome experience! The next day we drove through Swaziland and arrived at our chalets, in the pouring rain, in Kruger Park. The following day was spent gameviewing - from Lower Sabie to Olifants camp - and despite the rain, we had some great sightings of a variety of animals. The night drive was cancelled due to the rain, and when we left the next day, we stopped at Tshukudu Reserve for a morning game drive and lovely lunch. Jolene returned from the drive with scratch marks from the leopard that took her arm into his mouth - luckily the leopard was not so hungry and just wanted to play - well, it nearly gave the ranger a heart attack! I in the meantime had made friends with Savannah the cheetah, who roams around the lodge buildings!
Our arrival at Chitwa was a bit delayed - when we entered the Sabi Sands reserve, I misread the direction boards and we went on a 'tour' of the reserve, crossing a swollen river with the water lapping up near the door - well, when we arrived, the afternoon game drive had already left, none-the-less, we enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon relaxing - and the following day enjoy the two game drives, a bush walk and superb meals. We had some great laughs - mainly at the other guests, who had just arrived in Africa and were so 'scared' of the animals - Wayne and Jolene had become old hands by now! Imagine climbing off your airplane, then onto a open game vehicle, only 30 minutes later to be charged by a bull elephant in must, and an hour later, to be surrounded by a pride of 11 lions! The final day, Friday, saw us departing after an early breakfast, and popping in to Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window and Sabie, before driving back to Johannesburg airport for our farewells and their return back to the USA.
That night, I drove to Pretoria, to meet my next clients, Chas, Carl and the family, who had invited me for dinner - and to chat about the safari.
Well, at the end of March, I met Chas and Carl at their hotel in Durban and off we left for Mocambique. A lengthy 7 hour drive to the actual border post, with a few stops along the way - and then engaging 4x4 once across the border, to negotiate the soft sands to Ponta Do Ouro. The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing and getting to meet some of the other guests who we were going to be spending the next few days with. Carl was fulfilling his childhood dream, with the assistance of his father. He was wanting to go into Mocambique and was also wanting to learn as much about the bush, the beach and the birds as possible! So, the next day, after a code of conduct briefing by Herman and Angie, the Dolphin boat operators, we launched the boat through the surf and headed out to sea - after a few kilometres, we encountered a school of dolphins and slowly, Angie and two guests entered the water with goggles and snorkels - then the boat moved away and ahead to the direction the dolphins were swimming and the rest of us entered the water - wow, what an experience. Wild dolphins - out in the sea, in crystal clear water about 40 metres in depth - and we were swimming with them. You are not allowed to touch them or chase them, but if they want to be touched, then they will come to you. Well, for the next few days, we spent time on the boat, on the beach, on walks and just relaxing and reading in Southern Mocambique. Awesome stuff! On the last day, Carl and some of the other guests even encountered a Whale Shark - a truly memorable experience!! Well, we left Mocambique and then arrived at Kosi Bay and then went snorkelling at the mouth - not as great as I remember, due the tide not being quite right yet, and also a lot of silting of the mouth. The following day, we left for the Umfolosi Game Reserve, and met our fellow trailists at the Wilderness camp. The next 5 days were spent in this lovely pristine wild life area - no buildings, roads, people… just us, the animals and the bush - GREAT !! The first night we heard the nearby troop of baboons going berserk - lots of noises, barking etc - and then we heard the kill. The next morning, two lions were lying in the sand opposite the camp on the other side of the river, with a satisfied grin on their faces! The donkeys left ahead of us to the trail tented camp, carrying our luggage, whilst we carried smaller packs and hiked through the wilderness area, crossing the river, through the bush and following the various animal footpaths, with Fortune, our Trails Office leading the way, and Richard, the Field Ranger taking up the rear. Richards Eyesight was phenomenal - I thought mine was good, gee, his was excellent - obviously with 16 years in the bush, he has got to know the bush and the animals extremely well, and loves it!
We had a rather exciting moment, when approaching a waterhole, we spotted 5 rhinos, a small herd of zebra, some impala and warthogs - only the rhinos had not seen us, but we sat down and watched the animals - drinking etc - then a stupid wildebeest came strolling into the area, never saw us, until he put his head down to drink - got one heck of a fright, snorted and took off, thus alarming all the other animals, including the sleeping rhinos! Chaos !! Well, 3 of the rhinos returned, but had still not seen us - so we decided to continue walking to camp - and then they caught wind of us! Well, let Chas's poem describe it to you (he is a poet!) .
CHARGING RHINO
They looked good
Lying by the waterhole.
So, we took pictures. And
They looked good
Standing by the waterhole, so
We took pictures. But
They did not look good
Charging straight at us with
A long, sharp horn and
Two tonnes of muscle thundering
Towards us at thirty kilometres an hour, so
We did not take pictures. Instead
We dove
Into the thornbushes
And hugged their tiny daggers to us
While the rhino thundered past.
Crawled out, after
Plucked each painful barb
Out from our lacerated flesh
While thanking this prickly vegetation for
Allowing us to embrace it
In this, the moment of our need. So, there you have it - an exciting moment!! Our trail camp was great - dome tents, bucket showers, with warm water from the fire, spade and paper toilets, camp corn bread, meals cooked over the fire.. an exciting experience. Highly recommended!!
Departing from Umfolosi, we heading north again, through the Umfolosi-Hluhluwe Reserve, to Leopard Mountain Reserve - a small private reserve which was awarded the title, Best Small Game Reserve in South Africa, in the AA Annual Awards - well done chaps!!
On Arrival, we met the Ranger, Wayne, who was to be our host for the next 5 days. Driving down the track to a clearing in the bush next to the river, we promptly set about setting up camp, collecting water from the river and getting a fire going. For the next few days, we shared the teachings and experience with Carl - in spoor identification, tracking, tree and animal and bird identification, rope making with grass, survival in the bush and many other skills a Ranger learns - and also helping Carl complete some of his Scout badges. For an added bonus, we included some target shooting, abseiling, horse riding and even a commando course! It was a wonderful experience being able to camp in the wild bush, cooking on the open fire, getting the water from the river, washing under a bush shower and seeing the bright stars at night! One of the highlights I think for Carl, was making a shelter in the bush, and then spending the night in it, with me. Gee, is he a restless sleeper - and when the blesbok antelope came past at 2 in the morning and snorted, Carl reacted and was ready to protect both him and me with his huge bush knife! Well, I know Carl learnt a lot and what a great experience for a young lad to have. His Dad, Chas, is a poet and has three books to his name, mainly about the Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) bush war - where he was a medic. To date, I have 6 poems from Chas, which he compiled whilst on safari - so shall make a link to a website where I shall have some of them displayed. Link will probably be in the Guestbook - with his one poem he submitted to the Guestbook 2.
Returning to Durban Airport, we bid farewell and then the following day I had to 'catch-up' at home and in the office - and then the next day, I went to the airport to meet Nick and Angie. We drove to the Durban Beachfront, for a quick glimpse of what there is to see, and then we left for Zululand, to arrive at Wendy's for a lovely stay. Superb Dinner and a good nights rest, before we finalised our stay with breakfast and then off to St Lucia for a morning boat cruise on the estuary and then we met Wayne who was going to take us on a kayak safari on the Lake itself. This was something new that is offered and something exciting. After a short drive, we arrived at Catalina Bay - and then launched the canoes, paddled across portion of the lake, enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch, then had a short walk in this World Heritage site - the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park - before paddling back to the vehicle and driving back to the town of St Lucia. From there, we headed north to Hluhluwe, and arrived at the cheetah breeding project in time for the feeding of the serval cats and cheetahs that Emdoneni has. After the usual great food and sleep, we left for Hluhluwe Game Reserve, and enjoyed a full day gameviewing, encountering a large breeding herd of elephants shortly before lunch. The next day, we really encountered them - driving down a gravel road, we stopped in our tracks as we rounded a corner - 5 or so large elephants in the road and not showing signs of moving - so we watched, soon there were 20 elephants, then 30 then 40… and so our reverse gear worked, and slowly, 30 metres at a time, I reversed for the next 40 mins or so - and we witnessed and enjoyed this large breeding herd - from babies that were only a week or two old, to the matriarch who was telling off some teenagers at one stage! We then headed south to the tented camp in Umfolosi - and spent a couple of nights here, also having a great time, including a bush walk and night drive. Leaving Umfolosi, we drove through the new Royal Zulu Reserve before reaching Thula Thula - where we spent the night there. Superb food, knowledgeable ranger, luxury accommodation and lots of animals, including their two new rhino!
Leaving Thula Thula, we visited Shakaland for the late morning 'tour' and lunch, before we arrived at our floating chalets on the nearby dam. We explored some of the dam on our small skiff that afternoon, before returning to enjoy our braai (barbeque) on board. What is different about this floating chalet is the open plan lounge-kitchen, all working on gas and solar power, and the unique outdoor shower and cosy bedrooms - all safely arranged on the pontoon, securely anchored in one of the bays. After returning to shore the next morning, and enjoying breakfast, we then headed back to Durban - and Nick and Angie enjoyed a brief stay in Umhlanga Rocks, catching up with laundry and shopping.
Early the next morning, we left Durban and drove to Sani Pass, got our passports stamped and entered Lesotho. Nick had been here two years ago, with a friend and had brought along three of the photos he took - and the local village people were thrilled to receive them! We had a picnic lunch at the top of one of the tallest mountain passes there, before returning to the top of Sani Pass for a drink and then descending down the pass to our hotel for the night. En route to the airport the following day, we had a brief stop at the Howick Falls, where Nick and Angie bought a few lovely wildlife paintings - at bargain prices! Well, sad farewells at the airport, whilst they continued to Port Elizabeth for their self-drive portion of their holiday. So, there you have it - now you know why I have been so quite - been away!
Self-drive and non-Guided Safaris
Our largest portion of clients have fallen into this category these past few months. Luckily for them, we offer one of the best car rental rates in South Africa, with many offices and an exception service - and Alice and I know personally many great lodges and guesthouses which we will happily book our guests into. We avoid marking up the prices - and I was flabbergasted the other day at a breakfast function with some colleagues when a couple of them said that they mark the public rates up by 10 or 20%, to make more profit - well, a great way to make profit, but we do not use that system. As I have stated before, we like to book our clients into guesthouse, lodges or hotels that follow normal business practise - and they have two rates - a public rate and a Tour Operator rate - so our commission is included in the public rate - and that way, the price you see, is the price you pay! We also use establishments that we have either personally visited, are recommended in reputable and controlled publications or highly recommended by colleagues and other guests - then we know that you are going to be looked after properly and get good value for money.
As mentioned last time, Craig, David, Frikkie, Allen, Ian and Jeff all hired cars from us - and did their own accommodation bookings, and have not heard from them since their returns home - a pity, as we would have like to hear how their trip went, what they did, where they went etc.
Occasionally we get last minute enquiries and bookings - as much as we detest these, we do try our best to help these folks out - just wish they would plan further ahead, as it is a lot less stressful from our part. Note, we do NOT make international phonecalls to give answers etc - we deal with our prospective clients via e-mail. We are a small company and keep our overheads as low as possible. Folks must remember, that we do NOT offer packages and that not all lodges and hotels have vacancies all the time. ALL our services, bookings, rentals are PREPAID and thus you have to allow time to discuss your tailor-made itinerary AND to have enough time to accept payment from you and to be cleared into our account AND have enough time for us to prepay all the lodges etc. Our favourite clients book at least 2 months in advance!! So, become a favourite and book well in advance!! Alice did a hurried booking for Norman, to spend a few days in Cape Ton and also rent a car. Anton flew up from Cape Town, spending time at Phinda and Sodwana Bay, before going to Ponto Do Ouro for some diving and then flying back to Cape Town. Michelle booked her main accommodation well in advance, but the car rental and additional enquiries was a rush - and the sad part was that her mother had a heart attack on their return to Johannesburg Airport, so apart from having to spend additional time in Johannesburg, the car rentals had to be extended etc - well, good news is her mother is fine and back in the USA. Vaughn booked his rafting trip down the Orange River well in advance, but the one Friday when Alice was locking up, he arrived to book another car for a few days! He and his wife did enjoy the trip down the Orange river, despite, I believe, having a total of 900 people on the Orange river over that Easter weekend!
We had a few young ladies book an camping overland safari with us, on one of our colleagues trucks in January, but have not heard from then yet, so they are either still travelling or maybe need to tracked down using some other method?
Keith booked another car through us, for a short stay near Port Elizabeth and a colleague from St Lucia also booked a car through us for going to a meeting on the Whales, in the Garden Route area. Did you know - that the whale sightings are more frequent and more successful on the Zululand coast, than they are near Hermanus or along the Garden Route! Did you also know that more people visited Hermanus in August last year, than Kruger Park!! So, with that logic, Zululand should have more visitors in August than Kruger Park!!!!
Spencer returned to SA, with his girlfriend again - and after exploring some of Zululand and our wonderful game reserves. Here is an extract from their 'Welcome Home' e-mail: "….. Thank you for your help once again !! we had a great time!!! Whilst on the game drives we saw all the BIG FIVE and on one occasion near to Hilltop rest camp we encountered a Bull Elephant standing in the middle of the road and no way was he going to let us pass!! so we had to reverse 1km before we could turn around to get out of his way !!, I have been to many game parks in the last few years but I have never seen as many Rhino as I saw around Hilltop!! ……… ………… I had a big shock when I arrived back at Manchester airport....SNOW !!!!! we were both very glum because the holiday came and went too quickly!!
Well Take care for now and I will send you some pics when I get them back!! So, nice to have some positive feedback from our clients.
I mentioned Nik and Angie earlier - well, Nik had been out here 2 years ago, with a buddy - and this time he brought his girlfriend out - and left with his fiancé ! Yip, before joining up with me for the safari, they had been to Vic Falls and Sun City - and then afterwards, they went on a self-drive from PE to Cape Town. Whilst in Vic Falls, Nik proposed to Angie, whilst in a helicopter over the world famous waterfall! So, they are now engaged - and after their wedding, they'll be back for another safari!
Then our clients of the year so far - are Jim and Judith. We have had so many laughs from this British couple over the past few months - e-mails that I could not help but forward to their lodges that they were going to stay at, to forewarn them of this unusual couple, well Judith is! They have a system that everytime someone sends them an e-mail, their phone goes "bing" - so if Judith has not been "binged" for a day or two, then we get these 'odd' e-mails! Anyway, they had a marvellous safari - and are keen to come back again! (Not sure if the lodges can stand up to so much laughter again, so might have to choose other ones!) Judith reckons she is also a poet - and wrote the following on their return last week:
Where oh where should I begin,
To leave out any would be a sin.
I begin with Steve and Heidi
And Leroo-La Tau - a Lodge just for us.
An intro to Africa could not be bettered,
A dear couple living life so unfettered.
Our tent by the Boteki with lions roaring,
Definitely not Jims gentle snoring.
Sun-shiny days filled with birds and night-lamping,
Luxury Camping!
We move to Tshukudu, Geordie and Mike,
Tales to be told of elephants and fright,
Game drives and a machine getting stuck,
Not stage-managed - just our luck!
We played with feline chums,
Identified animal dungs (s....t Mike)
Laughter around the fiery boma,
Smelling delicious kitchen aroma!
Flying to Rocktail, an exciting hop,
The mission hospital an unscheduled stop.
Dear Robert new at his post,
A courteous and gentle host.
Wild seas and lake bird sighting,
Can I remember them all as I am writing?
Ndumo our next stop and Leza and Dean,
Enthusiastic youngsters dedicated and keen.
Warthogs rooting,
Francolins tooting,
Storm bashing,
Rain lashing,
Gentle teasing about lights askew,
Dinner protocols, gentlemen first - that's new!
We listened to drums around the fire,
Though guide Johnson was not for hire!
Last stop Hluhluwe, Tanith,Hennie,Brad and Ocky,
E-mails clues - they knew we were potty!
Game drives and sightings - we were the best,
Chilly evenings and gins in the chest.
The climax, elephants and a herd of fifty,
Bulls on the rampage, an exit most nifty.
Heart-stopping moments- we`ve got to move,
Camera rolling - we've film to prove!
Lovely friends, generous hosts, all working so hard,
Can I praise you all upon this card.
And lastly my dears, I come to you,
The Big, big Five, plus Two,
Five off the list,
Where's the Two I've missed?
Thank you my darlings from the heart,
Believe me you're top of my chart!
That says it all, without all of you, you would not have made this trip so successful. We have been so happy and so so wish that it would all be starting again next week.
So, again, we are thrilled to have such happy clients - and maybe April has been the poets month for travel? First Chas, now Judith!
Future Trips:
Our first is Laura, she will be hiring a Microbus from us for a few days, not sure where she is going or what she is doing, - some folks seem reluctant to discuss their plans with us! Then, I shall be Guiding a small group of Turkish folks for a colleague of mine - to Umfolosi and Hluhluwe area, finishing off at St Lucia and Shakaland - so shall be out of the office for 5 days in Mid-May. Judy should also be flying up to Kosi Bay in mid May, just waiting for her to confirm 100% all is OK. Aidree has been corresponding with us for ages - and we have booked her and family into a lovely game lodge north of Pretoria for a few days - and then they fly down to Cape Town area for the remainder of her holiday. I was going to be taking them on a safari for a short period, but her daughter made it into their State gymnastic team, so their holiday has to be shorter due to her training program! Old Scouting friends of mine have made a booking through us for the Umfolosi game reserve - tented camp - for when their nephew comes out to visit in July, so they shall enjoy a few days gameviewing - then I believe they go to Cape Town for a week - enjoy!
During June, you would all know by now that we are having a Total Solar Eclipse, and the major important area is the Zambia region - and more specifically, the Kafue National Park - and that is where my safari takes us into. I still had two spaces left, but am disposing of them (cancelling), as I have not been able to fill them and will have to pay a large fee if I do not cancel them now! So, it shall only be 4 of us in total - so a lovely small group. Before the safari, I shall be visiting a game lodge in Zimbabwe, then a hotel on the shores of Lake Kariba - followed by the ferry across the Lake. After the eclipse safari into Zambia, I will be hosted by Wilderness Safaris, Zimbabwe - when I visit two of their luxury lodges - one in Matusadona and the other in Hwange. We have used a number of Wilderness Lodges, which are well known for their superb quality and location - so it will be nice to actually go and visit them - then I can talk from first hand experience and send clients there to have a happy and exciting time!! I'll tell you all about that trip in July!
For the month of August, the last 2 weeks in September, last ten days in October and first 6 in November - I am personally booked for Guided safaris already - so any other requests for Guided safaris during that time, will be with one of our freelance Guides, who are very experienced and are also people-persons!
The Zululand Flying Service:
Well, January was our busiest month, and we flew lots of people to and from Maputaland and Zululand - with everyone thoroughly enjoying the flight - stunning scenery, much quicker than the road transfers, and a lot safer. The other months have been quiet and only a few transfers have taken place each month - a great pity, but the lodges say they have also been quiet. Let me recap briefly what the ZFS is all about. The St Lucia Lake and immediate area was declared a World Heritage Site last year - which means that the emphasis is on conservation - and thus ecotourism. At the same time, our Government, along with the Mocambique and Swaziland governments, have formed the Lubombo SDI - basically a trans-frontier eco area, that will be relying on tourism to upgrade the area by showing and demonstrating to all and everyone, all the hidden secrets of the Zululand and Maputaland area - from great game viewing, superb beaches, wonderful culture and also birding, handcrafts, traditional lifeskills…etc - all very exciting. Already there are over 3 dozen lodges and reserves in that area - and there are plans to build at least another dozen lodges - in the upmarket region, on lake shores and beaches - in such a way as to have no negative impact on the environment - well, myself and Federal Air, saw the potential of flying clients, guests, tourists into this region from Durban, rather than from Johannesburg and also instead of having them drive all the way - which is from 3 to 6 hours from Durban or Johannesburg - so we introduced the Zululand Flying Service. Fed Air would prefer to charter the planes all the time, as that is more money for them - however, by me chartering the plane from them - and then selling the seats, it makes it more attractive for the tourist. Example - a one-way charter flight would cost approx R8000 for the small plane (seating 3 maximum, with luggage) - we sell seats from R1064 per person - so, if there are lots of people, then it is cheaper for the tourist. We have landed at a variety of airstrips and met many of the lodge owners who are all in favour of our service and will support us - now we just need to get the message out! We have a variety of planes to choose from - and lots of photos and information is available on our official Flying website.
At the beginning of the year, I negotiated with many of the lodges for discounted rates, during their traditional low season, and on condition clients fly with the ZFS, they will get these discounted rates. So, we have Flying-Safari Specials at the moment, from January till June -discounted air flights, discounted lodges.. and excellent value for money - I have spent a lot of advertising these locally, but as normally, the local market is useless, despite what colleagues say!!!!
Family and Friends:
I unfortunately have not had much time to pay attention to family and friends - so the little I can tell you is minimal! My sister, Gail, is seriously talking about going to England for a year - to work, make money, to pay for the debts and farm she has! Her one dog, that bit her calves (baby cow) ears off and both of their tails as well, died two months ago, when a puff adder snake bit it - blessing in disguise I say! Anyway, she came to visit us in February - and March for a few days - so good to see her. Other sister , Lynn, well, saw her for an hour over my mothers birthday in March - believe her two sons are doing well at swimming, breaking a few records - and showing great potential for the Olympics in 8 to 12 years time! Brother Sean, well, sadly, his one dog, Otto, who is so loveable and who has been his best buddy for 11 years, died last month, from cancer. A great loss to Sean. The other three dogs are OK- but the bitch last week lost her four puppies and has now been sterilised - and looking for a good home - he only wanted her for breeding. His family came down a few weeks ago for the afternoon - oh, on Mom's birthday, to bring presents down! - Nice of them to come and spend the day - we had a braai around the pool - great fun!
My cousin Mike in Canada is now in regular contact - so good to have updates and info from him. We often chat on the Microsoft chatline - and e-mail each other as well. Both our fathers were brothers. Past pupils, Malcolm has put together a photo album of his family and hobbies, so good to be in contact with him that way. Shannon is still in the UK - with a new girlfriend Rene - trust it all goes well as she is lucky to have Shannon as a boyfriend, great chap. Glenn from Aussieland and his girlfriend are in the UK and also has made an album of his travels - thanks Glenn - good to see it and that you have not changed a bit since 1988! Nearby friends, Steve and son Lloyd have been busy working on their home recently - and infact when I went around there this weekend - Steve's Landrover was up the tree!! Yip, he wanted to work on the gearbox, so thought it easiest to unbolt the body from the chassis and hoist the body up the tree and then push the chassis and engine out to continue working on it!
The World around Us!
We now have a water feature outside of our office - as I type this, it is nearly finished, but I have blisters and cuts on my hand to show the hard work that went into it. It is nearly 3 metres in total length and probably half a metre deep at its most - and a funny shape - with 2 or 3 sections where the water makes that soothing noise! (Or makes you want to rush off to the loo!!) Once complete, will make some pretty flowers around the border of it, as my flowers I planted a few months ago are blossoming nicely! So, our office environment is taking shape!
We have had a fair amount of rain for this autumn period - and means that the grass will grow longer and that the dry winter grass will burn more fierce in the rural areas! Also means the animals will stay in the bushy areas longer, due to more water being available for them! The roads up into Zululand are being upgraded and the main N2 only has two sections now remaining where they are working on. The new tar road from Hluhluwe (pronounced 'shoo-shloo-wee') to Maputo, via Sibaya Lake area and Kosi Bay area is progressing well - and it will mean that to drive that route will be approx 5 to 6 hours, compared to 8 to 10 hours at present!
You might have heard about the usual corruption that one expects from certain members of any government - well, here in South Africa - we have one of the ministers involved with being in possession of luxury 4x4 cars, a 2nd house etc - and he was one of the chaps to make decisions on the "Arm's Deal" with foreign countries - hmm, a rotten fish is smelt! Hitting the headlines at the moment is the Thabo Mbeki problem - with supposed ANC members trying to oust him out of his seat and they take over as President of the ANC and country! Some young ex-chairman of the ANC youth league has made allegations and I think it is being blown out of proportion. We still hear about certain politicians being over paid, the corruption that takes place, the fraud… and then our local City council opt to have a workshop meeting at a resort , 3 hours drive from Durban at a cost of over R240 000, whereas a local college offered to host it at a cost of R43 000.. No, to have it locally means that the council members will be easily distracted and also will not all attend the function/workshop - gee, where has their self-discipline gone!! I HATE politicians - they spend too much money that they do NOT deserve, they earn FAR too much, they splash out on far too many functions and especially here in SA, the theft from functions is unbelievable!! Oh, and they tell to many lies! (Not that these actions are different anywhere else in the world!)
Our Durban Airport is still enjoying its facelift and upgrade - construction is still taking place, and so a few detours and disruptions are obvious - but the end result should be good! We do not enjoy many direct flights to Durban, most land first in Cape Town or Johannesburg - but with the upgrade, maybe things will change!
Well, this seems to be the end of my ramblings - sorry to those of you who enjoy the long lengthy and detailed diaries, but I was pushed for time, to get this edition complete - as it is way long overdue!
All the best
January to April 2001
Gee whiz, how time flies when you are having fun! Every weekend, I say to myself, I must sit down and write the next edition - and I think I have told a number of you that I am busy with the next - well, on scrap paper as a draft only! So, here goes, have stopped all work (as it is a public holiday today) and writing Dean's Diary till I finish it!In this edition:
Dean
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